Meteorologists in the country should use Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to improve on their services, the Senior Advancement Officer at the Pentecost University College, Rev. Dr Emmanuel Apea, has urged

He said for instance, expertise in ICT was needed to help regional and national meteorological services by collecting data at local levels to improve upon their prediction of the weather.

“We need to improve upon our weather predictions; at the moment when it rains, market and other useful activities are hit rather badly,” he stated.

Dr Apea said this during an inter-schools mathematics and ICT quiz organised by the Bluecrest College in Accra recently.

The quiz featured 11 Senior High Schools (SHSs), during which the competitors answered questions based on their syllabus in the two disciplines.

Finalists

The competition started with schools including the St Thomas Aquinas SHS, Harvard SHS, Holy Trinity Cathedral SHS, Labone SHS, Aburi Presbyterian SHS, Salem SHS, Accra High SHS, Preset Pacesetters SHS, LA Presec SHS, De-Youngsters SHS, Kinbu SHS and GHANATA SHS.

At the finals, Labone SHS won the competition, while Accra High School placed second. The  De youngster SHS and Holy Trinity SHS took the third and fourth places respectively. 

All four schools received a laptop each as prizes.

The maiden edition of the BlueCrest Train aimed at making students aware of the core importance and benefits of adopting ICT and mathematics in their respective careers.

Challenging meteorologists to develop innovative approaches to problem solving, Dr Apea said scientists ought to do a lot to improve the quality of life in the country.

He urged technologists to develop applications and software that would improve the services of meteorologists.

 Education

Expressing dissatisfaction of female representation among the finalists, Dr Apea challenged female students to work hard to be part of the finalists in the second edition of the competition.

“It is not my intention to give a long remark on this occasion, but I ought to point out that the only disappointment I have this afternoon is the absence of females at this final competition. I do hope that in future, our young women will work hard enough to feature at the final level of this innovative competition, “ he said.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Vogue Social Enterprise, Miss Ivy Barley, stressed that the competition was aimed at educating and empowering SHS students to succeed in their academic pursuit, noting that it would contribute to policy debates and sustainable development agenda of the country.